KubeLord of Frogs Game Review

The Basics:

• For ages 10 and up (publisher suggests 12+)
• For 2 – 6 players
• Approximately 45 minutes to complete

Geek Skills:

• Counting & Math
• Logical & Critical Decision Making
• Strategy & Tactics
• Risk vs. Reward
• Visuospatial Skills

Learning Curve:

• Child – Easy
• Adult – Easy

Theme & Narrative:

• Jump and bounce your way to dominance!

Endorsements:

• Child Geek approved!
• Parent Geek approved!
• Gamer Geek approved!

Overview

The origins of the children’s game Leapfrog can be traced back to the late 16th century. It’s still played today and is an excellent example of a game that has withstood the waves of time and popularity. And yet, this game – while still played at its most basic and traditional level on playgrounds worldwide – is subject to updates and derivatives of its own. Case in point, this game takes the basics and adds a new twist that creates a game that is both familiar and challenging to play. What is old is new again, it would seem, as games hop through time and onto your gaming tables.

KubeLord of Frogs, designed by Immanuel Singuillo and published by Color Game Award, is comprised of  24 six-sided cubes, 18 clear plastic discs, and one standard six-sided die. Of particular note regarding this game is that the six-sided cubes have a frog of a different color on each facing, for six different colored frogs per cube. It’s also worth mentioning that the game’s board is on the back of the box. Dump out the components, put the box back together, and flip it over for gameplay.

Welcome to the Pond

To set up the game, complete the following steps:

First, take the game box and flip it so it’s face-down. You should be seeing a 7×7 grid that contains geometric shapes (squares and octagons). Place the game box in the middle of the playing area and within easy reach of all players. The game box (now a game board) is called the “Arena.”

Second, divide the cubes into equal groups per the number of players. For example, each player would get eight cubes in a three-player game. Not all the cubes will be used depending on the number of players. Placed unused cubes off to the side as they will not be used during the game.

Third, have each player select a color not currently selected by an opponent. Have the players rotate their cubes so the frog color of their choice is at the top and showing. A note of praise here is that the game designers included colors and shapes to help colorblind individuals quickly identify their frogs.

Fourth, determine how many “KubeLords” the players will have during the game. At a minimum, each player will have one KubeLord and, at maximum, three KubeLords. The number of KubeLords in the game will impact the game’s length. The more KubeLords in play, the longer the game. After determining the number of KubeLords, give each player one clear plastic disc per KubeLord agreed upon. These are placed on top of any cube of the player’s choice. Any plastic discs not used should be set aside as they will not be used during the game.

Fifth, after determining who will go first, each player will simultaneously place their cubes (including their cube with the KubeLord disc) onto open spaces outside the Arena. The sides of the geometric shapes on the game board determine the rotation options for the cube. The direction the frog on the cube faces determines the direction the frog will “jump” during the game. Given this, players shouldn’t take time to complete this step, as all frogs must face inward.

This completes the game setup. Determine who will be the first player and get hopping!

Hopping to Victory

KubeLord of Frogs is played in turns with no set number of turns per game. A player’s turn is summarized here.

Step One: Roll the Die

The active player rolls the standard six-sided die. The resulting number displays the number of spaces one of their available frogs must move. The frog to be moved is the player’s choice.

Step Two: Move the Frog

During this step, the player may choose any available frogs to move. However, players cannot change the direction of their frogs facing on the cubes.

When determining which frog to move, players should look at the direction their frog is pointing and the number of spaces (i.e., “jumps”) their frog will take. After determining which frog to move, the outcome will depend on the final space the frog lands.

• If the ending space is empty, the player moves the cube to occupy it and orientates it in any available direction based on the geometric shape (squares have four possible directions, and octagons have eight possible directions). The one exception to this rule is if the frog ends its movement in an outer-space. If such is the case, the frog must be orientated so it faces inward, allowing for only one direction.
• The player does not move their frog cube if an opponent’s frog occupies the ending space. Instead, they point out the direction of the movement and then take the frog cube that is “caught” and change its frog color to match their own. The player may reorientate that newly “captured” frog cube in the direction of their choice (except if the frog cube is in an outer-space of the grid).
• If the ending space is occupied by one of the player’s frogs, the player leaves their frogs in the space but can reorientate the frog cube that would have been jumped on.

If the opponent’s frog to be captured contains two or more KubeLord discs, it remains on the board and is not captured. Instead, the player gets to remove one KubeLord disc from that cube and then can reorientate the player’s frog cube.

However, if the opponent’s frog to be captured contains only one KubeLord disc, it’s captured as usual after removing the KubeLord disc and reorienting the die. In addition, all of the opponent’s frogs still in the game automatically belong to the active player. Flip them so the active player’s color is shown, and orientate them as needed and allowed. The opponent is now out of the game.

Quick Word on Jumping

It’s possible that the number of required spaces to be moved based on the die roll result would take the frog off the arena. If so, the frog’s jump will “bounce” off the invisible wall of the arena in the direction allowed by the geometric shape.

Winning the Game

The game continues until only one player is left. The remaining player is the winner.

To learn more about KubeLord of Frogs, visit the game’s webpage.

Final Word

The Child Geeks quickly understood the game’s rules and got to the gameplay. Immediately, it was evident that they enjoyed the game’s speed and how fun it was to move the frogs around the board. According to one Child Geek, “What I love most about this game is how much fun it is to determine which of my frogs to move and how best to move them to tackle other frogs!” And yet, the very same element of gameplay that appealed most to the Child Geeks was also their biggest concern. As one Child Geek put it, “What I like least about this game is that you can be knocked out of playing it, meaning I just have to sit there and watch others play. But it is fun to watch and even help other players if they let you.” When the final frog jumped to victory, the Child Geeks took a vote, and all decided that KubeLord of Frogs was a winner.

The Parent Geeks enjoyed how easy the game was to play, how many players were allowed to play simultaneously, and the resulting entertaining chaos that ensued. As one Parent Geek put it, “The game at first, with up to six players, is a total mess, and frogs jump on frogs. Very quickly, however, the playing field starts to thin out, and every move could mean life or death for your frogs. I enjoyed the game and would play it again.” Another Parent Geek said, “I love an independent game, and this is no exception. Easy to play and love, this game caught my attention and interest from the first jump. I liken it to the puzzle games I play on my phone and computer when I should be working.” When the last Parent Geek jumped on top of their opponent’s frog, they took a vote, and all decided that the game was a jump-tastic.

The Gamer Geeks took their time with this game, exploring its corners and borders, trying to push it to its limits, and seeing its faults. After the end of every game, the Gamer Geeks – those elitist gamer snobs – took a vote, which always resulted in a positive. The Gamer Geeks were just as surprised as you. One Gamer Geek said, “This is not a game that should have caught or even held my attention. And yet, it did. Its simple execution, movement, and resolution of actions should have turned me off. But it didn’t. Instead, it kept me interested and – if you’ll excuse the pun – hopping mad when an opponent found a weakness in my strategy. This is not a game I love. It is a game I refuse to stop playing until I win.” Another Gamer Geek said, “A very easy to learn and easy to play strategy game with fun tactics and minimal decision making that made the game – oddly enough – even deeper in its gameplay. I enjoyed it and found the game to be a perfect example of what a game “filler” should be before the main game of the evening is put on the table.” As stated, the Gamer Geeks fully approved KubeLord of Frogs despite their initial assessment.

I am surprised I enjoyed KubeLord of Frogs as much as I did. In most cases, games that depend heavily on the “elimination” of players turn me off because players who don’t do well early are out of the game for a long time. In truth, the same holds here, but the games are so fast and so – well – brutal that anyone knocked out of the game doesn’t have to wait long until the next game is ready to be played. There is also the bonus of watching the game played, which is a lot of fun. So, when I say, “Well, that was a surprise,” know that it’s as much about how much I enjoyed the game and how many people I observed also enjoyed it.

The game’s real charm comes from how quickly you resolve turns. Each frog can only jump in one direction per its current positioning. You have little to think about other than the end state of when you move the frogs, but even that is based entirely on chance. And here is where I found a subtle element of the gameplay intriguing. While you will go out of your way to protect your KubeLord, you will also make your other frogs look like highly appetizing targets for your enemy. All very obvious, of course, but one cannot help but take the easy jump to move a frog to your color if you can. It’s so exceptionally satisfying seeing the game board re-populate itself with the frogs of your color choice.

And here, again, is where I must praise the game designers on their choice of mechanics. Instead of removing pieces, they incorporated loss and victory without removing anything from the game board. The better you do, the more pieces you have to move. However, the more you dominate the board, the bigger the target. This exquisite balance of victory and opposition really appealed to me. Do great and be the target; do poorly and have a lot of room to maneuver at high risk. Simply brilliant.

Try this highly entertaining and speedy game of frog versus frog as you jump to victory and close calls. Put it on your gaming table and see if your players are jumping for joy or hopping mad.

This game was given to Father Geek as a review copy. Father Geek was not paid, bribed, wined, dined, or threatened in vain hopes of influencing this review. Such is the statuesque and legendary integrity of Father Geek.